Promise Promise
by Fuzzy footie pajamas
Summary: Lovino has done his very best to be a good boy for Matthew and get all 30 stickers on his sticker chart, as he is promised a very special day in return. But when the day finally comes, why is Lovino not granted the day he was promised? And how does Matthew handle the tantrum that follows? ABDL/Age regression Sick!Romano, Abtalia (Gift)


_"When little boys are good, they get a star on the chart."_ Those words circulated through Lovino's head as he stared at the blue and white chart that hung on the fridge. After his fits and bad temper had become a bit too much for Matthew, he had put up a good-boy chart on the refrigerator. On this chart, were little stars. These stars represented days where he had been a good boy. No fits or yelling or fussing. No swearing, hitting, or pouting. It had been so so difficult for him thus far. But staring at the chart and silently counting in his head, he realized something. It had been almost a month! There was nearly a month's worth of stars on the calendar. Now, this was not 29 days in a row of course. Sometimes, when he was bad, he would get a sticker taken away. But it was 29 stickers nonetheless! He was almost there!

Matthew had promised him, that after he had gotten thirty stickers, then they would do something special together. And today was the day. He was going to get his final sticker! He stood dressed in his pajamas, and his blue blanket dangling from his hand as he waited for Matthew. His hair was still slightly damp from his bath, and he was just about ready for bed. But first, he needed Matthew here. He had to remind him that he needed his sticker for the day. He had been extra good today. No bad behavior to speak of, and he knew this deserved an award. If only Matthew wouldn't be so slow!

As he waited, he cleared his throat with a grimace. Fall was here. And with it, came little colds. Matthew had only recently been over one himself, and Lovino seemed to be catching one. But it wasn't so bad really. Just a bit of a sore throat was all. Nothing to worry about.

After a bit of waiting, Matthew came into the kitchen, drying his hands off. "Hey there little guy. You almost ready for bed?" Lovino responded with a frown.

"Not yet! You still have something to do don't you?" Lovino reminded him. Matthew frowned back and scratched his head.

"Something else to do?" He asked innocently. "What do mean? I think we have everything all done don't we? You've had your bath, you're in your pajamas, you-"

"Papa!" Lovino said impatiently. Matthew laughed and approached the chart on the fridge.

"Alright alright silly boy. You've been a pretty good boy today haven't you? I could definitely see that you were really doing your best today. You didn't get too frustrated when your crayon broke and you took deep breaths just like I told you to. You didn't fuss or cry when I didn't let you have more sweets. And you played really really nicely when Kiku and Yao came over to play. I'm really proud of you for that." Lovino stared at him, his eyes wide as he waited for his sticker.

"But…" But? But what? "At the same time, you were a bit impatient with me when I was getting your lunch ready remember? And you made mad faces at me when I had you turn off the TV and color." Matthew tapped on his chin as Lovino awaited the final verdict. He had been good! He did what he was told and played nicely with Kiku and everything! He shouldn't be denied his sticker right? That wouldn't be fair!

"Well, I think you did your very best today. So, I'm going to give you your sticker." Matthew finally decided as he peeled a gold star sticker from the sticker chart and placed it onto his good boy chart. Lovino gasped in delight. "And that makes 30 stickers right? So that means you get a special reward." He smiled at Lovino and placed his hand atop his head. "So, what would you like to do tomorrow? We can do anything that you want."

Almost immediately, Lovino blurted out, "The zoo! I want to go there." This surprised Matthew a bit, and for a second, he wasn't so sure why he wanted to go to the zoo. But after a moment, it hit him. Now he knew why. A few days ago, Matthew had taken a phone call while Lovino played near by. Alfred had been telling him about the new exhibits at the local zoo, like the horse rides, the touch tank, and even the new baby tigers that had been born recently. He had wanted to take Toris , but he wasn't too keen on going, as Toris was a bit more of an indoor baby. Matthew had told Lovino about the big zoo and the things they could see. But Lovino hadn't seemed too interested. Apparently, he had been hiding his interest and really did want to see it.

"Sounds good to me. Why don't we go around 3:00 hm? That way it's nice and warm when we go out okay?"Lovino only nodded in return. Matthew smiled widely. Ever since they had started the sticker chart system, Lovino's behavior had improved significantly. He was calmer, politer, and demonstrated such good behavior. Matthew really couldn't be prouder at this point with his little boy. Matthew took Lovino's hand and led him away. "Now, let's get into bed okay? We have a big day tomorrow!"

Matthew changed into his pajamas, Lovino was given a little tea to help his throat, and then, the two of them climbed into bed, and fell asleep soon after.

The two of them slept peacefully through the night, with the anticipation of tomorrow following them in their dreams. They slept in the bed that night, keeping a fair amount of distance from one another in order to keep comfortable. But Matthew still kept his arms open in case Lovino wanted to cuddle at any point in the night. Sometimes Lovino wanted to be held at night. And other times, he wasn't in the mood. Tonight though, it would seem that he was comfortable keeping to himself.

In the morning, Lovino managed to sleep in for a bit. Matthew had awoken first and had left Lovino to sleep as he got breakfast ready. He wanted to make a special breakfast for this special day. So he got out the pans, the ingredients, and some music to go with it. And soon enough, the kitchen was filled with the scent of Matthew's prized pancakes. He sang softly along with the music. He was feeling just as excited as his little boy was today. He was looking forward to taking him on this well-deserved trip to the zoo. It had been a little while since they had done anything together like this. Hopefully today turned out to be a really fun day for his little boy.

Speak of the devil! Lovino entered the dining room, rubbing his eyes of sleep and grumbling something about Matthew making too much noise. "Good morning baby boy! Did you sleep well?" Matthew asked cheerfully as he set the table. Lovino only grunted in response. Aw, poor thing was still a bit tired hm? That was okay. "Come sit down. I made you some breakfast." He encouraged. He took Lovino's hand, and was rather surprised when it was suddenly pulled back.

"Don't touch me." Lovino scoffed, walking to the table himself. Matthew was a bit of a loss for words. Lovino must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed thing morning. But then again, that's how he was every morning. He just wasn't usually that hostile. But Matthew decided it was best to respect his wishes, and joined him at the table.

"How did you sleep last night?" Matthew asked him.

"Fine." He was answered with as Lovino examined and picked at the pancakes. Matthew pursed his lips a bit. Uh oh. He hoped this wasn't a bad day. Lovino was often rather crabby in the mornings. But sometimes, he woke up just not in a good mood. Sometimes, for reasons that they couldn't explain. He seemed to be feeling rather unhappy this morning. But what could have caused that? As Lovino stared distastefully at his food, Matthew suddenly raised his eyebrows. Wait a moment…

"Hey there buddy." Matthew said as he stood up and came around the table. "You're looking a little pale. Why don't we take your temperature?" Matthew suggested as he reached out to place a hand on Lovino's forehead. Was Lovino not feeling well? But as soon as he got close, Lovino swatted him away.

"I said don't touch me idiot!" He scolded. Matthew was rather taken aback, but he knew he had to stand his ground. He had told Lovino several times before that name calling was not going to be tolerated. And he had to stand by that.

"Now Lovino. You know better then to say things like that. This is your warning okay? No more of that. Lovino huffed, but didn't say anything more. "Are you not feeling well today? What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Lovino responded bitterly. "I don't feel sick, I feel fine." He got up from the table, not bothering to ask to be excused. "I'm gonna go dress." He announced.

"Dress? Dress for what?" Matthew asked, picking up the plate that Lovino had hardly even touched. Lovino only rolled his eyes.

"The zoo remember? You promised we would go today." He reminded him. Matthew bit his lip. Oh dear. He hadn't forgotten. But he didn't think it was best that they went today. Even if Lovino was feeling well, his pale face indicated that he was close to getting sick if he wasn't already. He didn't want to trigger a fever or anything of the sort. He braced himself for a possible tantrum and called out to him before he could leave.

"Lovino?" He called. "Maybe we should…wait." He said. Lovino froze, but didn't turn around. "We don't have to go right now and all right?" Lovino's head whipped around, and Matthew jumped. His stare was mean and almost a bit threatening. "Um…d-don't you remember? I said we weren't going until 3:00. It's only 9:00. We still have a long ways to go before then okay?" Lovino didn't answer for a moment. But he nodded and went into the living room instead. Matthew let out a long breath. That wasn't what he had meant to say at all! He had gotten nervous, and couldn't bear the thought of making his little boy upset. But if Lovino wasn't well, then they really couldn't go today. Oh, he didn't know what to do!

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a horse coughing coming from the living room. Matthew quickly walked in to see Lovino hunched over at the coffee table, coughing into his fist. It sounded rather painful, especially considering that he had been complaining of a sore throat just the other day. He came closer and placed a hand on Lovino's back. This time, Lovino didn't bother to push him away. He let him linger until the coughing fit ended. Matthew knew that he had to do something. He couldn't let him go out now. He had to be papa, and take care of him. "Lovino baby, I don't think we can go to the zoo today. You really do look sick."

"I said I'm not sick!" Lovino shouted back at him. Oh dear, he was in a very very bad mood wasn't he? "I want to go!"

"I'm sorry Lovino." Matthew had to put his foot down. Otherwise this behavior would continue to grow worse, the longer it went on. "We are not going. And that's final."

"But you promised!" Lovino continued to yell. "You promised we would go today!"

"I know I did. But sick little boys need to stay in bed and rest so their bodies can-"

"It isn't fair!" He interrupted as he stood up. His head began to spin, and he stumbled. Matthew was about to take him into his arms, but Matthew pushed him away. "No! Don't touch!" Oh no. He was showing the warning signs of a big tantrum. Lovino was known to get very upset very easily, and it took a lot to calm him down when he got like this. "We have to go!" He now took Matthew's hand and gave it a tug, which Matthew calmly pulled away.

"My mind's made up. I'm sorry. Now you need to go straight up to bed young man. I can bring you some water or whatever else you need. But first, you need to do what I am asking you to do."

"You jerk! You big stupid jerk!" Lovino shouted at him angrily. He knew he wasn't supposed to call Matthew names, and he had already gotten a warning. But he really didn't care. He was so angry, sickly, and disappointed, and he didn't want to bother to try the breathing exercises that Matthew was always telling him to do when he got angry. Instead, he reverted back to handling the anger in the way he always did: through name calling and shouting. "You're a big dumb liar!"

Matthew pursed his lips. This behavior had to be punished, he knew it did. But Lovino was sick. Was it right to punish him for it? He had his answer a minute later when Lovino picked up a crayon from the ground and threw it at Matthew. He was having an explosive episode, triggered by too much happening at once. He needed to calm down. But he also needed to know that this behavior was not going to be accepted. "That's it Lovino. I have had enough of this little fit of yours." Matthew told him, using his rare but stern tone of voice. "I've asked you already to behave and listen to me. But you refuse. I am going to have to remove a star from your chart."

"No don't! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Lovino gasped, quickly changing his tone and his words at the threat of a star being removed. But Matthew knew he couldn't cave in to the pleas. Matthew turned and walked from the living, to the kitchen, with Lovino at his heels. And before Lovino's eyes, the golden star sticker that he had been awarded last night was removed from the chart.

"Now, you can earn this back once you-" He didn't even finish his sentence, when Lovino's meltdown started. Without even turning around Matthew knew what was happening. Lovino yelled, let his knees drop out from under him so he collapsed to the floor, and started kicking up his feet as he shouted more insults. He hadn't seen Lovino throw a tantrum in quite a long time. He had managed to curb his bad behavior for quite a long time. But now, he was having a bit of a relapse. But this time, his shouts and cries were a bit more toned done due to the aching in his throat. He had to get Lovino to calm down before he could do anything else. Lovino's tantrums could last a rather long time if he ignored them. And he didn't want Lovino to harm himself.

Matthew moved quickly. He retreated back to the living room, and pulled the large and thick comforter he had stashed under the couch for such occasions (Or in case they cold. Whatever came first.) Then he returned to the living room and spread the blanket onto the ground. Lovino knew what was coming. And he scrambled to get back to his feet, only to be stopped by Matthew. It was a bit of a struggle, but he managed to get Lovino into his arms. Lovino tries to hit and kick, but Matthew held him tightly in order to stop him. He scooted towards the blanket, and got Lovino down. Thankfully, Lovino didn't have shoes on, so even when Matthew did get a little kick to the chest, it wasn't too bad of an impact.

Once he was down, Matthew grasped an end of the comforter, and pulled it over Lovino. Then he brought up the other end, folding it around Lovino. He was still putting up a fight, but he was already starting to calm down. Matthew paused in what he was doing. It seems that he didn't need the blanket anymore did he? Lovino had already stopped kicking, as he had easily tired himself out this time. But he was still shouting and crying. So, Matthew removed the folds, and came closer.

He placed a hand under Lovino's head and another under his shoulders to help him sit up. Lovino squirmed, and didn't want to cooperate. But Matthew managed to pull Lovino up so he was in his lap, facing him. "Ssh." Matthew encouraged softly. "Everything is okay. Ssh." With a growl and a sob, Lovino buried his face into Matthew's shoulder. Matthew gently rubbed his back. He could feel the heat radiating from Lovino's cheek, onto his own. He really was sick wasn't he? "There we go little boy. Just relax. Relax." Lovino's arms, which had been hanging loosely to the sides, now came up to wrap around Matthew. He finally stopped screaming, and had been reduced to just tears.

"That's my good boy." Matthew whispered into Lovino's ear. "I knew you could do it. You just needed a little help right? But everything is okay now." He said. "Now, why didn't you want to tell papa you were sick? Why did you still want to go?"

"I w-w-wanted to go with y-you." Lovino hiccuped. He was still angry, he could tell by the tone of his voice. But he understood now that Matthew was not going to let up.

"I know you did. And I'm sorry that you got sick. But maybe we can go another day hm?"

"My star…"

"Oh that's right. Well, if you're a good patient for me, then you can have the star back, okay? That shouldn't be too hard right?" He felt a weak nod come from the sick boy. "That's my good boy." He held onto Lovino for a bit longer, and waited for the crying to stop before planting a kiss on his warm cheek.

"Come on. Why don't we get you into bed hm? You didn't eat your breakfast, so how would you like some soup instead?" Lovino didn't answer for a moment.

"Tomato." He muttered into Matthew's ear, getting a chuckled in return.

"Of course buddy. You can have tomato soup if you want." He stood up, placing one arm under Lovino's behind to lift him up and carry him. "We can give you a cool bath to cool you off, then put you into some clean pajamas. After that, the bed will be waiting for you. Does that sound nice?"

Another nod. And as Matthew was carrying Lovino away, he could hear a quiet, "Sorry," mumbled into his ear.

"It's quite alright buddy. I love you."

"…yea."


End file.
